Petition calls on Walmart to follow Loblaw's lead and sign Canada's Grocery Code of Conduct
After Loblaw agreed to support Canada’s Grocery Code of Conduct last week, Canadians are now calling on Walmart to follow suit.
A new petition has been created on Change.org, demanding the grocery company to sign the code.
“With Loblaw’s recent agreement to sign the Grocer Code of Conduct, Walmart stands as the final holdout among major grocery retailers in Canada. By signing this code, Walmart would demonstrate its commitment to fair pricing, supporting local businesses, and ensuring transparency in its operations,” states the petition.
The Grocery Code of Conduct is a significant step toward improving the resiliency and efficiency of the grocery supply chain. The primary objective is not to directly rebalance market power, regulate fair dealing, or set the level of retail fees but rather to improve supply chain relationships through principles of predictability, transparency, and fair dealing.
On May 16, Loblaw announced it would be ready to sign the code after months of delay but stressed that other grocery giants must follow suit.
“The final part of this process will be for all major industry participants to sign the code,” said Loblaw in a statement released last week.
Loblaw previously shared concerns that the code would raise grocery prices and said it wouldn’t be able to sign on at the time.
Loblaw said its decision to support the code came after a number of discussions its higher-ups had with the code’s interim board and working group over the past six months.
Neither Walmart nor Costco has signed the voluntary code yet, and some experts have noted that the code’s terms will not work unless all industry players agree to participate.
The Change.org petition was started by Emily Johnson, the creator of the Loblaws Is Out of Control subreddit group.
The online community, which has surpassed 80,000 members, also spearheaded a Canada-wide boycott of Loblaw-owned stores to see the company lower prices, increase price transparency, commit to ending price gouging, and sign the Grocery Code of Conduct.
When Loblaw announced support for the code last week, the group applauded the move but stressed the importance of other industry players (such as Walmart) to sign on.
“We believe that Walmart, as one of the largest grocery retailers in Canada, has a responsibility to uphold fair practices in the industry,” reads the petition.
“Grocer Code of Conduct, Walmart would show its commitment to ethical business practices and fair treatment of suppliers.”
In the petition comments, signees shared their thoughts about the code and the need for major grocers to sign on.
“Tired of being ripped off by grocers,” read one comment.
“Price gouging and continuously increasing already hugely inflated prices cause many problems for the working poor, the majority in this society. While the greedy businessmen are left free to enjoy their ill-gotten gains,” wrote another person.
One person stated that they simply wanted “affordable groceries.”
At the time of writing, the petition received 1,947 of its 2,500 signature goal.
With files from Imaan Sheik
Follow Channels and Categories